1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to snowboard boot support systems; in particular it relates to stance-support systems functional on the rear of the bootleg and heel of snowboard boots to govern the various leg movements of a snowboard rider.
2. Description of Background Art
Snowboard riding entails boot binding and support requirements unique among pedestrian snow sports. Broadly, the sport may be divided into alpine and freestyle snowboarding. In alpine snowboarding, hard boots similar to those conventionally used for alpine skiing are worn, fitted into so-called hard bindings mounted on the snowboard, which likewise resemble alpine ski boot bindings. In freestyle snowboarding, soft boots similar to ordinary snow boots, or adaptations of such boots as distinct from hard shell alpine boots, are typically worn, fitted into so-called soft bindings.
For effective control in riding a snowboard, the snowboard rider's feet are bound to the snowboard oblique to the rider's gliding (board longitudinal) direction, establishing the rider's stance, wherein the rider works his or her legs to maneuver the board.
While snowboard boot bindings bind the boots to the board, associated stance support systems have been developed to govern aspects of the attitude of the rider's legs with respect to the snowboard in riding.
Therein, conventional stance support systems having means for adjustably supporting the extent to which the rider's lower legs are bent forward on the ankles (referred to as "lean") are common. Further, mechanisms that govern the sway of the rider's legs in the longitudinal direction of the board (referred to as "cant" or "lateral flex") are also known.
Stance support systems for snowboard boots for soft and for hard binding systems support the upper heel as well as the bootleg rear (rear of the ankle/lower calf) regions. This aspect of leg support provided by either stance support system will hereinafter be referred to as "highback support," using the term familiar in the art.
Thus the highback support in the associated binding systems can govern the lean as well as the cant of the rider's stance. Both lean and cant control in highback support are desirable particularly in freestyle riding, in which the snowboard is piloted through a great variety of orientations on the snow in riding and in hitting the snow coming out of a jump. Highback support aids in steering the board, and in supporting against injury, particularly in landing. Moreover, support in the highback area assists the rider in making what is referred to as backside turns, in which the rider leans back, tilting the snowboard on the longitudinal edge along the boot heels.
A snowboard rider's canting motion is defined by the natural anatomical movements possible in the feet and legs. Specifically, locking the knees or otherwise standing rigidly straight is obviously unstable for riding, and moreover undesirable since the rider cants only by rocking on the balls of the feet, which leads to a loss of steering power applied to the board from the muscles of the legs. By bending the knees, the rider not only gains the stability of the crouch, but is then able to twist the lower legs inward (cant inward) on the ankles. In this canting motion, the sole of the boot remains in fuller contact with the snowboard, to promote transfer of maximum steering control power from the rider's legs to the board.
On the other hand, with the legs bent at the knees, the human ankle is such that it does not allow one to twist the lower leg outward (outward canting) without rolling on the ball of the foot, which likewise leads to a lose of steering power applied to the board from the muscles of the legs. Consequently, asymmetrical highback support has been established in the art to maintain contact between the soles of the boots and the snowboard as fully as possible in riding.
Strap bindings and step-in bindings are established mechanisms for fastening snowboard boots to the boards, for which there are various stance support systems associated. strap bindings are for soft snowboard boots, and releasably strap the boots fast to the board through a binding baseplate or the like. Strap bindings accomplish highback support with a highback element attached to the baseplate. Therein the highback element can further include adjustable lean-setting means. Moreover, as disclosed in German Patent DE 3622746 A1, the highback can also be made pivotable to accommodate supportively lateral flex of the rider's legs.
When unfastened from the binding/highback support element, snowboard boots for strap bindings function essentially as ordinary snow boots for walking.
Strap bindings, however, can be difficult to release, since typically two over-the-boot straps must be unfastened on each boot. Accordingly, step-in bindings have been developed, both for hard- and soft-boot snowboard riding. Step-in hard bindings are similar to their counterparts for alpine skiing. With step-in bindings developed for freestyle riding, fittings on the base (i.e., that part including the sole and lower heel) of the boots releasably engage with braces mounted to the board.
One type of step-in soft binding system comprises a snowboard-mounted brace to which a highback element is attached. As with strap-in binding systems, soft boots are used with the step-in binding including a highback. Herein, the highback element can include adjustable lean-setting means. On the other hand, the need for lateral heel support in joining the highback to the step-in baseplate renders it impracticable to make the highback pivotable in such step-in bindings.
In another type of step-in binding/stance support system ("freestyle step-in system" hereinafter) there is no highback support element attached to the board-mounted baseplate; instead, the highback support is made part of the boot itself, either integral with or on the outside of the highback region of the boot. Consequently, the boots are semi-rigid rather than soft. On the other hand, unlike hard boots for alpine skiing, boots designed for use in freestyle step-in systems are constructed to provide lateral flexibility between the bootleg and heel portions.
Configurations of freestyle step-in system systems furthermore are known that provide lean adjustment. Wherein this is the case, it is desirable at the same time to provide the system with some means for disengaging the lean adjustment, to provide, as it is called in the art, "on/off switching" between the "ride/walk" modes. This permits the rider to be able to walk in the snowboard boots after dismounting from the board, since otherwise the boots would be fixed in a set lean, not allowing the flexibility at the ankle necessary for walking, with strap bindings, since as mentioned previously the highback is attached to the, binding, "walk mode" is achieved simply by unstrapping the boot from the binding, regardless of whether a lean adjustment is built into the binding/stance support system.
An example of a freestyle step-in system with lean adjustment means which is at the same time on/off switchable between the ride and walk modes is disclosed in the 1998/1999 K2 Snowboards Inc. dealer catalog, wherein a forward lean engagable and disengagable "freestyle outsole" is illustrated.
With freestyle step-in systems also the highback support element can incorporate canting support means as well as adjustable lean-setting means, for example, as taught in European Pat. Appl. Publ. No. EP 0 772 982 A2, commonly assigned to the present applicant. Therein, furthermore, the canting support means is unilaterally restricted to provide the afore-described asymmetrical highback support.
Accordingly, highback support elements in freestyle step-in system systems are known to be fitted with means for regulatively supported canting of the log portion with respect to the base portion of the boot, in addition to lean adjustment.
Nevertheless, freestyle step-in system systems constructed for canting highback support as well as adjustable lean support that at the same time can be readily switched between the ride/walk modes would be especially desirable.
Still more desirable would be such a freestyle step-in system that also is attachable to any step-in directed boot.